A/N: So, I was thinking about putting Glorfindel/Elrohir slash in this
story, but I don't think that they're going to want to sleep together after
all the embarrassing stunts Elrohir has pulled lately! I will probably
give Elrohir his own story later, though, after I finish this one. Here's
the next part. (Hmm…13 was lucky for Bilbo. Maybe this part will bring in
review #100!) ;)
Part 13:
Legolas heard the door to Elladan's room slam in Elrohir's wake. The conversation between the brothers had woken him from his light doze. He hadn't been able to fully fall asleep because of Elladan's restlessness, and there was apparently more than worry for his brother keeping his love from peace. He lay there for a while, listening to the deadly silence in the room, but then he could take it no longer. He sat up and rubbed the rest of the sleep from his eyes.
"What was that about?" he asked Elladan.
Elladan was still staring at his folded hands, but he stood up at Legolas's question. "Nothing that concerns you," he replied. He steadied himself on the window sill—his leg still would not hold his weight for long.
"I came here to help you recover, but I may as well leave if you're going to wallow in self-pity."
"I am not wallowing!" Elladan snapped. "Do you even know what happened to me before you pass such judgment?"
Legolas shrugged. "Yes, I know. I spoke to your father when I arrived."
Elladan bit his lip to keep the tears from his eyes as he turned to stare out of the window. "How can you know and still lie in a bed with me?" His voice was strangely quiet. Thunder roared outside the window as the rain fell harder.
"It was not your fault, Elladan. Neither was it Elrohir's for leaving you there, or Lord Elrond's or Lord Glorfindel's for not riding fast enough to your rescue. They have told you this," Legolas pointed out. "Why do you not believe them?"
Elladan turned to face him, anger showing again on his fair features. "Why do you think that you can show up and tell me this and that everything will magically be better? What makes you so special that you can heal me when no one else can?"
Legolas did not let his eyes drop from Elladan's. "I did not claim that," he defended himself. "But I will not run away. I will not leave you until this is resolved, no matter it be days or weeks or centuries. If there is one thing we have, it is time. And love." He barely ducked as a vase flew over his head to hit the wall behind him.
"What do you know of love?" Elladan spat. He was shaking with rage and pain. "It cannot protect you from anything."
Legolas covered the distance between them and spun Elladan around to face him. "I know more of love than you do, or you would not hurt your brother as you did, and you would not make me witness of it!"
"I know not what else to do," he said. "I do not know how to act, or how to think, or what to say anymore."
Legolas resisted the urge to shake the elf. Strange, that he was the physical one when Elladan was taller and more powerfully built than he. Still, Elladan was not himself at the moment. He pushed Elladan back down into the chair.
"If Elrohir's love cannot heal you then mine cannot either. Seek shores other than these if you must, but do not hurt the ones you love because all you feel is pain!" Legolas said. "I see the sea in your eyes, the same as in my dreams."
"I cannot, Legolas…I am afraid," his voice was little more than a whisper.
"Elrohir would go with you, if you asked," Legolas said.
"No, he wouldn't. His love for Arda is still too strong. It is why we did not go west with our mother. Would you go with me, if I asked?"
Legolas shook his head. "No, I would not."
"See? I am alone in this world, and I would be alone in the next. I have never been alone. Not since Elrohir and I were born."
"Elrohir is at your side always. Wherever you go, whatever you do, you are in his heart. As you are in mine. Is that enough for you?"
Elladan bit his lip and shook his head. "No, but maybe someday it will be."
Legolas smiled. "'Tis a start," he said. He leaned over and kissed Elladan's lips. "You must share your pain and your grief before it kills you, but you cannot inflict it on others. You will send your brother and your father to the grave if you continue to treat them so! If you need to yell or scream or throw vases at my head, so be it. But apologize to Elrohir for he has suffered so much already."
"I will, for I am sorry that I have hurt him so." Elladan swiped at the tears that ran down his face. "All I seem to do is cry anymore," he said ruefully.
"There is not shame it in, though perhaps the Man's blood in you tells you there is," Legolas said. He took Elladan's hands in his. "Now, shall I go fetch your brother?"
"He has fetched himself," a voice said from the doorway.
Legolas and Elladan turned to see Elrohir, Elrond and Glorfindel crowding the now open doorway. Legolas had the grace to blush as he realized that the Lords must have overheard their rather heated argument.
"We heard shouting and breaking glass," Elrond said, more of a question than a statement.
Legolas was about to answer for Elladan, but Elladan squeezed his hands. "I'm sorry, Father," he said, in a more civil tone than he had used in weeks. "Legolas and I were having a…discussion over my recent behavior and I broke a vase."
Elrond looked at the position of the shattered glass and the wet spot on the far wall. "I see," he said, eyebrows raised. "And the issue is resolved now? Or should I be sending the young Prince on his way?" he asked warningly.
Elladan shook his head. "The issue is settled for now, Father."
Elrond nodded. "Then I will leave you to yourselves," he said, sensing that all was not resolved, but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment.
Elrond turned and left. Glorfindel looked the room over in a glance, then shoved Elrohir into the center of the chamber. "I am sure Elrohir will be happy to help you clean up," he said. "After all, he has had much practice lately in picking up broken glass." With that, he took his leave, closing the door behind him.
Elrohir stood in silence in the middle of the room, looking anywhere but his brother's eyes. Legolas looked from one brother to the other in expectation, but he was determined not to force them into anything. He busied himself with picking up the broken vase. Finally, Elladan rose and stood in front of Elrohir.
"I'm sorry, Elrohir, for the way I've been acting towards you lately," he said quietly.
"Oh, Elladan, you need not be sorry! I only wish I could understand what you've been through better. I wish I knew what you needed from me to recover," Elrohir said.
"I need my brother, my twin, the one who knows me better than anyone else in this world," Elladan said. "And there is no excuse for my abuse of you."
Elrohir replied by simply wrapping his arms around his brother, sufficiently tackling him to the bed. He turned so that he took the impact and Elladan landed neatly on top of him. "All is forgiven ten times over, Elladan!"
"Apparently so!" Elladan said, smiling at his brother's antics. Elrohir beamed. It was the first hint of a smile he had seen on Elladan's face since the entire ordeal began.
Elladan stretched out on the bed, reaching his hand out for Legolas to join them. Legolas mopped up the last of the water off the floor with a cloth and wiped his hands before crawling onto the bed with the twins. Elrohir moved over so that Elladan fit between them. Lightning flashed outside of the window.
"Listen," Elladan said. He counted the seconds between the lightning flash and the accompanying thunder. "The storm is passing."
Part 13:
Legolas heard the door to Elladan's room slam in Elrohir's wake. The conversation between the brothers had woken him from his light doze. He hadn't been able to fully fall asleep because of Elladan's restlessness, and there was apparently more than worry for his brother keeping his love from peace. He lay there for a while, listening to the deadly silence in the room, but then he could take it no longer. He sat up and rubbed the rest of the sleep from his eyes.
"What was that about?" he asked Elladan.
Elladan was still staring at his folded hands, but he stood up at Legolas's question. "Nothing that concerns you," he replied. He steadied himself on the window sill—his leg still would not hold his weight for long.
"I came here to help you recover, but I may as well leave if you're going to wallow in self-pity."
"I am not wallowing!" Elladan snapped. "Do you even know what happened to me before you pass such judgment?"
Legolas shrugged. "Yes, I know. I spoke to your father when I arrived."
Elladan bit his lip to keep the tears from his eyes as he turned to stare out of the window. "How can you know and still lie in a bed with me?" His voice was strangely quiet. Thunder roared outside the window as the rain fell harder.
"It was not your fault, Elladan. Neither was it Elrohir's for leaving you there, or Lord Elrond's or Lord Glorfindel's for not riding fast enough to your rescue. They have told you this," Legolas pointed out. "Why do you not believe them?"
Elladan turned to face him, anger showing again on his fair features. "Why do you think that you can show up and tell me this and that everything will magically be better? What makes you so special that you can heal me when no one else can?"
Legolas did not let his eyes drop from Elladan's. "I did not claim that," he defended himself. "But I will not run away. I will not leave you until this is resolved, no matter it be days or weeks or centuries. If there is one thing we have, it is time. And love." He barely ducked as a vase flew over his head to hit the wall behind him.
"What do you know of love?" Elladan spat. He was shaking with rage and pain. "It cannot protect you from anything."
Legolas covered the distance between them and spun Elladan around to face him. "I know more of love than you do, or you would not hurt your brother as you did, and you would not make me witness of it!"
"I know not what else to do," he said. "I do not know how to act, or how to think, or what to say anymore."
Legolas resisted the urge to shake the elf. Strange, that he was the physical one when Elladan was taller and more powerfully built than he. Still, Elladan was not himself at the moment. He pushed Elladan back down into the chair.
"If Elrohir's love cannot heal you then mine cannot either. Seek shores other than these if you must, but do not hurt the ones you love because all you feel is pain!" Legolas said. "I see the sea in your eyes, the same as in my dreams."
"I cannot, Legolas…I am afraid," his voice was little more than a whisper.
"Elrohir would go with you, if you asked," Legolas said.
"No, he wouldn't. His love for Arda is still too strong. It is why we did not go west with our mother. Would you go with me, if I asked?"
Legolas shook his head. "No, I would not."
"See? I am alone in this world, and I would be alone in the next. I have never been alone. Not since Elrohir and I were born."
"Elrohir is at your side always. Wherever you go, whatever you do, you are in his heart. As you are in mine. Is that enough for you?"
Elladan bit his lip and shook his head. "No, but maybe someday it will be."
Legolas smiled. "'Tis a start," he said. He leaned over and kissed Elladan's lips. "You must share your pain and your grief before it kills you, but you cannot inflict it on others. You will send your brother and your father to the grave if you continue to treat them so! If you need to yell or scream or throw vases at my head, so be it. But apologize to Elrohir for he has suffered so much already."
"I will, for I am sorry that I have hurt him so." Elladan swiped at the tears that ran down his face. "All I seem to do is cry anymore," he said ruefully.
"There is not shame it in, though perhaps the Man's blood in you tells you there is," Legolas said. He took Elladan's hands in his. "Now, shall I go fetch your brother?"
"He has fetched himself," a voice said from the doorway.
Legolas and Elladan turned to see Elrohir, Elrond and Glorfindel crowding the now open doorway. Legolas had the grace to blush as he realized that the Lords must have overheard their rather heated argument.
"We heard shouting and breaking glass," Elrond said, more of a question than a statement.
Legolas was about to answer for Elladan, but Elladan squeezed his hands. "I'm sorry, Father," he said, in a more civil tone than he had used in weeks. "Legolas and I were having a…discussion over my recent behavior and I broke a vase."
Elrond looked at the position of the shattered glass and the wet spot on the far wall. "I see," he said, eyebrows raised. "And the issue is resolved now? Or should I be sending the young Prince on his way?" he asked warningly.
Elladan shook his head. "The issue is settled for now, Father."
Elrond nodded. "Then I will leave you to yourselves," he said, sensing that all was not resolved, but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment.
Elrond turned and left. Glorfindel looked the room over in a glance, then shoved Elrohir into the center of the chamber. "I am sure Elrohir will be happy to help you clean up," he said. "After all, he has had much practice lately in picking up broken glass." With that, he took his leave, closing the door behind him.
Elrohir stood in silence in the middle of the room, looking anywhere but his brother's eyes. Legolas looked from one brother to the other in expectation, but he was determined not to force them into anything. He busied himself with picking up the broken vase. Finally, Elladan rose and stood in front of Elrohir.
"I'm sorry, Elrohir, for the way I've been acting towards you lately," he said quietly.
"Oh, Elladan, you need not be sorry! I only wish I could understand what you've been through better. I wish I knew what you needed from me to recover," Elrohir said.
"I need my brother, my twin, the one who knows me better than anyone else in this world," Elladan said. "And there is no excuse for my abuse of you."
Elrohir replied by simply wrapping his arms around his brother, sufficiently tackling him to the bed. He turned so that he took the impact and Elladan landed neatly on top of him. "All is forgiven ten times over, Elladan!"
"Apparently so!" Elladan said, smiling at his brother's antics. Elrohir beamed. It was the first hint of a smile he had seen on Elladan's face since the entire ordeal began.
Elladan stretched out on the bed, reaching his hand out for Legolas to join them. Legolas mopped up the last of the water off the floor with a cloth and wiped his hands before crawling onto the bed with the twins. Elrohir moved over so that Elladan fit between them. Lightning flashed outside of the window.
"Listen," Elladan said. He counted the seconds between the lightning flash and the accompanying thunder. "The storm is passing."
